Trust
by Kairi Kirihara
Summary: The Rikkaidai regulars always think about Akaya as a immature kouhai, don't they? But will they understand what Akaya actually thinks? Small scenes from National Tournament.


**Author**: Kairi Kirihara aka Kai

**Disclaimer**: All Prince of Tennis characters are Konomi-sensei's

**Warn: **OOC. Absolute No SA! XD

**Genres**: Friendship (sempai-kouhai) .

**Rating**: 12+

**Summary**: Just a some small scenes of Rikkaidai in the National Tournament, between Akaya and his sempais.

_Wrote for you, Akaya-sama. Wish you have a happy birthday, with your sempais._

* * *

**Trust**

"Yagyuu-sempai, what did they just say?" He asked weakly.

"They said that, in our country, even elementary kids can beat this stinky seaweed-haired bastard" Replied Yagyuu.

"I am going to crush them!"

* * *

"No way!"

"How can they become so strong? All of a sudden?!"

"Game won by Yanagi-Niou pair 6-1"

"It was necessary for us to get our youngster awaken." Niou said with a smirk.

"Eh?! Can't that be? The 1st and 2nd game were lost on purpose?" Akaya blinked as he turned to ask his sempai-tachi.

"You better thanks us" Bunta said, but he was smiling.

* * *

_**After the match against Naigoya**_

"So, we will go to practice now, right Yukimura?" Sanada turned and asked Yukimura.

"Yes, Sanada. But what's wrong, Akaya-chan?" Yukimura asked Akaya, who was having a suspicious face at the moment.

"Uhm…I…"

"What now, brat? I don't think you would thank your sempai though." Niou began.

"Uhm…I…" He couldn't say, he didn't know how to actually say it.

"Akaya-kun, if you have something to say, just say it." Yanagi said softly to his kouhai.

"Well…I just want to say…thank you, Yagyuu-sempai, Marui-sempai and Jackal-sempai, and thank you all of you, sempai…" He said with a bit of a blush.

All his sempai-tachi looked at him with surprise, some of them chuckled, Niou smirked, and Yukimura smiled gently.

"Haha, I never thought there would be a day I hear this brat say 'thank you' " Niou said, still smirked.

"Niou, stop teasing him. It was nothing, don't worry about that, Akaya-kun" Yagyuu smiled.

"Niou doesn't mean what he said. And it would be a 'You're welcome' from me and Jackal, right, Jackal?" Bunta blew a bubble and said to his partner, while he was tapping on Akaya's head.

"Yeah, sure, don't think too much about that, Akaya. It just what our sempai wanted to do to our only kouhai." Replied Jackal.

"But…but I have a question which I want to ask you, sempai…" He said slowly.

"What's it, Akaya-chan?"

"What if…what if I really lost for that match? What if you calculated it wrong and I lost that match? Did you all think about that...?"

All his sempai look at him, with their serious eyes, included Niou, and it was Yukimura who answered him.

"No, Akaya. We knew that you would not lose that match. We knew that you would never drop that match. We trust you. Believe us, Akaya, we understand you and your abilities well. You could call it was a risk when we did it that way, lost two matches in a row. But no, Akaya, we all have faith in you, that's why. Don't think about that too much, okay?"

"Are you saying that you all trust me, sempai?"

"Yes, of course we are, Akaya. Now we should go or we will be late for practice this afternoon." Yanagi said and started walking, the rest of team did the same, Bunta grabbed Akaya's arm and pulled him along. "Come on, brat, what took you so long?"

Akaya did not mind that at the moment, he was just deep in thought "They trust me and have faith in me, just like I did to them, my sempai."

* * *

The final of national tournament between Seigaku and Rikkai.

Rikkai had two wins and two losses.

And now, Yukimura Seichii, the captain of Rikkai team, the king, the Child of God.  
He had loss to the super rookie of Seigaku, Echizen Ryoma.

Rikkaidai failed for the mission. They could not accomplish their ultimate goal, 3 consecutive championships of the national tournament.

"Sorry, guys" Yukimura said, as he was walking toward his team. Even though he had loss, he gained something more important, from that Echizen boy, "Tennis is fun".  
His teammates, they did not look upset at all though, they were all smiling. Sanada gave Yukimura a towel with a smile to his best friend. Yukimura received it and gently smiled back. Well yeah, it seemed everything was normal, they did not look like they mind about that losing, excepted for one person.

Yes, he, the only kouhai of Rikkaidai team, the ace of Rikkai, Kirihara Akaya.  
He was crying. Not that he cried out loud, but his tears were just not stopping.

"It's not something worth so many tear, Akaya-chan." Yukimura said softly.

"But Yukimura-buchou, I'm just so moved…" He replied, tears still fell and ran on his cheeks.

"Hey brat…" Niou began, but then he stopped. He never saw Akaya like this, crying in front of everyone. Although he loved teasing his only kouhai every day, he understood Akaya well and he really precious his dear kouhai. But yeah, it seemed this kouhai was still a kid after all.

"Akaya, is there anything else make you upset?" Yanagi asked, but Akaya could not reply.

"Well…sorry, brat. I lost against that Fuji" Niou said, his smirk had disappeared.

"Sorry Akaya-chan, if I just could win…" Yukimura said sadly, Bunta and Jackal were about to say the same, but Akaya quickly jumped in.

"No, it's not that, I'm not blaming you, sempai…"

Now, his sempais were even worrier. What's wrong with their dear kouhai, the one who was always cheerful every times he with them, no matter what the situation is? They never saw him crying before…

"Akaya, can you tell us what made you acting so unusual like this? You will just make you sempais worrier if you aren't saying anything, you know?" Yanagi slowly asked.

"I…I'm crying not because we lost the championship…it's because this is the last year for all sempai-tachi…and you couldn't finish the goal which we all want…"

All the regulars of Rikkaidai were now looking at Akaya with wide eyes. Their kouhai grew up a bit, didn't he? They never think Akaya would care and think about them that way.

"Baka, are you an idiot? It doesn't matter and even if it is, you don't need to cry! It's not you who will graduate, you know?" Bunta said loudly as if he was screaming at Akaya.

"I am not an idiot! You all, sempais, are the idiot ones! You want to cry and show expressions about this losing too! But it just because I am with you, I am your kouhai, so I knew that you would never do that in front of me! I am crying not for myself, I am crying for your parts, sempais…" Akaya beamed right back at Bunta and all his sempai. His eyes were all red at the time, not because he had bloodshot, it was because he cried.

The Rikkaidai regular hesitated for a while, did not know what to say or reply. How could Akaya know that? They always thought about Akaya as an immature kid, and now, he turned out to be more mature than any of them. But that was not a bad thing, wasn't it. After all, Akaya will be their hope and the pillar of support for Rikkaidai, after they all graduated. Some tears got out of Yukimura's eyes, he patted Akaya on the head and then said

"Don't cry, Akaya. It's over for us but not for you. We are all so happy about how you think about us. Thank you, Akaya. Next year, it will be your time. We will all entrust Rikkai in you, Akaya. Let's lead Rikkai to victory and get back the championship, okay?"

"Entrust Rikkai to me, are you serious, Yukimura-buchou?"

"If it's not you, who else? You are the ace of Rikkaidai, remember?" Yagyuu replied instead of Yukimura.

"Sempai…" Akaya did not know what to say and reply. This time, it was Niou who pulled his arm and walked along with his sempai. "Go, brat, if you are left behind, you will not get your Yakiniku today."

"Yakiniku? Yeah!!!" Akaya said, his usual smile had backed on his face. He really looked like a kid at the time, and his sempais could not recognise he was a completely different person 5 seconds before. Oh well, this is one other reason they love at their kouhai though.

None of them actually knew, Akaya was deep in his own thought at that time.  
"They trust me and they even entrust Rikkaidai to me. I will get back the championship for sure, no matter what will it take. I will climb up even higher and I will not waste their trust in me."

_**End.**_


End file.
